Sunday, September 2, 2007

"The classic flavor of truffle meets the velvety perfection of ripened goat milk cheese. Earthy, elegant, and sophisticated, it's sure to make even the most distinguished taste buds shake!"

That's the statement taken directly from award-winning Cypress Grove Chevre's website and dare I say it may be an understatement. This cheese brings so many superlatives to the tip of my tongue that just a single one has difficulty emerging on its own, they are such a glorious jumble. But I'll give it a try.

Truffle Tremor fills my senses with an almost barnyard-y perfume that dances on my tongue in a pas de deux with the creamy-then-crumbly-then-back-to-creamy, slightly tangy, black truffle-flecked chevre, all enrobed in a gently ripened exterior the texture of which is sublime in and of itself.

'Barnyard' is a good scent, people. Think dark, rich, moist compost-y soil under a blanket of autumn's fallen leaves. Add to that a whiff of a memory of chickens scratching in the dirt and the musky odor of the heat that emanates from the backs of horses lazily swishing their tails on a hot summer day. But that's me. Maybe earthy is a kinder more elegant descriptive, but so many foods and wines are given this moniker and, to be honest, it really doesn't come close in this case.

Humboldt Fog is the Cypress Grove multiple-award-winning cheese that I have always brought to out-of-my-area friends when I visit, but after tasting Truffle Tremor (and then tasting it again, and again) this has to be the one that will accompany me on my next round of visits.

Savored on the back deck on a late afternoon in this gloriously sunny, almost-fall weather and paired simply with a glass of chilled white wine, it's perfection.

10 comments:

Thank you Simona. I'll be very interested in your take on this fabulous chevre.It's good to be back, although I must say I'm having a hard knowing just where to start. So many photos, so much time has elapsed!

I want that...Now! I can almost taste it from your descriptio...Maybe I can arrange to have some shipped to my s-i-l before my next trip to the U.S.!?! Somehow, I doubt they'd ship cheese to France - but what a hoot if they would!

I looked at their website, and it seems one has to order THREE POUNDS AT A TIME!!! What on earth does one do with 3# of Chevre?? I doubt you can freeze it for a rainy day, so we would be eating off it for a few days!

Dear Cyn,I must admit to not considering how those who A) don't live within striking distance of Cypress Grove Chevre, or B) don't have a grocers who carries their cheeses will ever have a chance at tasting these tasty chevres. One way would be to get three people together to go in on an order and divvy it up between you. The other might be to ask your local grocer or cheesemonger to look into carrying a line of the cheese.At any rate, do forgive me for not thinking of those who don't have the same access as I do.